Our staff is committed to the fair and equitable assessment of all property in Butte County. We strive to provide prompt, personal, and professional attention to all whom we serve.
Our mission is to create equitable, timely and accurate property tax assessments to fund public services. We strive to be a source of accurate and timely property information for local government and the community.

Personal Property Appraisal

Personal property consists of physical property not classified as land or improvements. Boats, aircraft, mobile homes not on a permanent foundation, commercial, industrial and agriculture machinery and equipment, business supplies, etc., are classified as personal property.

Personal property is reappraised annually. Assessments are based on reported acquisition costs which are adjusted each year to reflect the pertinent depreciation to each type of property.

Business owners file an annual Business Property Statement detailing costs and disposals of equipment. Business inventory and licensed vehicles are exempt from taxation.
Auditor-Appraisers audit businesses as required by law and as deemed necessary.Learn more about Property Statement E-filing

Boats and Airplanes

Boats and airplanes are appraised annually at their market value. Information on their location and ownership is obtained from the Department of Motor Vehicles, the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Aeronautics Administration, and on-site inspections.

The California Constitution (Section XIII, Article 1) provides that all tangible property is taxable unless it is otherwise exempted by the Constitution or by the legislature. Household personal property was exempted in the 1950's, but privately-owned boats are still subject to property tax.

Section 5301 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code requires the annual assessment of non-commercial aircraft to the owners as of January 1 of each year. The Assessor of the county in which the aircraft is habitually situated is required to assess the aircraft at its market value.

Mobile Homes

Mobile Homes All new mobile homes /manufactured home (hereafter referred to as MH) purchased after June 30, 1980 are subject to local property taxes. Those purchased prior to June 30, 1980 may either be licensed with the department of Housing and Community Development or on the local property tax rolls. Those on permanent foundations are considered real property. MH improvements (decks, awnings, etc.) are assessed as any other real property improvement. The California Department of Housing and Community Development issues titles to MH not on permanent foundations. Please note: As of February 11, 1997 Butte County Ordinance No. 3321 prohibits the installation of any MH older than 1976.

About California Property Tax Assessment

Learn more about California Property Tax in the California State Board of Equalization publication. Although the California Property Tax publication is periodically updated, the laws and rules concerning property tax assessment are continually modified. Therefore, we caution you to consult appropriate sections of the Revenue and Taxation Code and related codes and property tax regulations in order to have the most current information.

January 1st - Lien Date.
February 15th - Deadline to file exemption claims.
April 1st - Due date for business and agricultural property statements.
April 10th - Last Day to pay second installment of secured property taxes.
July 2nd - November 30th - Period for filing application for assessment appeal.
August 31st - Last Day to pay unsecured taxes.
December 10th - Last day to pay first installment of secured property taxes.

All deadlines (appeals, exemptions, bill due dates) that fall on a weekend extend to the next workday.